Here we go again. Never content to leave well enough alone,
another Hollywood studio is launching another sequel/update. This time, it’s a
reboot of 1995’s Jumanji, with an
ensemble cast including Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan.

Jumanji: Welcome to
the Jungle is the story of four teens sent to detention (Alex Wolff,
Madison Iceman, Ser'Darius Blain, Morgan Turner) that discover a vintage video
game in the high school basement. The game is a morphed version of the board
game (seen in the 1995 film) that sucks the teens into the jungle, where they
possess avatars very different from reality. The school geek Spencer has
transformed in Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson). Spencer’s childhood
friend Anthony, A.K.A. “The Fridge,” a tall, football player, is transformed
into Franklin “Moose” Finbar (Kevin Hart), a zoologist and cartographer. The
school’s most popular girl Bethany takes on the persona of Professor “Shelly”
Oberon (Jack Black), while the reclusive Martha inhabits the body of Ruby
Roundhouse (Karen Gillan), a super-sexy and scantily clad “slayer of men.” When
they arrive in the jungle, the kids learn that they must replace a jewel at the
top of a giant jaguar sculpture in order to lift a curse and end the game. The
kids must learn how to use the expertise and skills of their new avatars to
overcome their fears. They soon discover that another player, Alex/”Seaplane
McDonough (Nick Jonas) has been stuck inside the game for 20 years, unable to
finish it by himself. The game was transformed from the board game to the video
version in Alex’s bedroom 20 years
prior. The team must learn to trust each other and draw upon their unique
talents to defeat the evil Van Pelt (Bobby Cannavale), who uses the stone to
control all the animals in the jungle.

Jumanji: Welcome to
the Jungle has a few laughs, mostly from Jack Black playing a “hottie”
trapped inside a middle-aged man’s body. Some of the penis jokes go a little
too far, but Black channeling a teenage girl has its moments. Kevin Hart does a
lot screaming, taking on the “hysterical” part of the group dynamic. His
performance is also mildly amusing at times, but not anything that prompts
belly laughs. Most of the film centers around Spencer’s avatar (Johnson) and a
predictable romance with Martha’s avatar (Gillan), which the couple hopes will
translate into the real world, should they ever get out. Some of it works, but
it’s hard to overlook some of the lazy storytelling and missed opportunities to
exploit 1990s game culture along the way.

So, we’re all glad that Sony Pictures can make a few bucks
by retreading a marginal 1990s hit by providing a little holiday escapism, but Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle isn’t worth
getting too excited about.